J.J. Abrams Eyes Michael Jackson Event Series on Icon’s Last Days

Dramatized event series of major cultural touchstones have been on fire since FX’s People v. O.J. Simpson, and it looks like Michael Jackson may next get the TV treatment. J.J. Abrams has re-teamed with Tavis Smiley for an event series based on the last days of pop icon Michael Jackson, based on author Smiley’s book.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, the duo will work together to begin shopping an event series adaptation of Smiley’s upcoming book Before You Judge Me: The Triumph and Tragedy of Michael Jackson’s Last Days. The book is described as “a taut novelistic rendering of the final months in the pop superstar’s life. The book examines Jackson’s highs and lows — including his constant hunt for privacy in a life that was more public than almost any other and the pressures he endured as someone whose fame made him socially fragile and almost unable to live.”

Executive producers will include Smiley, Abrams, Ben Stephenson and David Brewington, following Smiley’s original announcement of the adaptation project last year. No network has yet picked up the project, though an event series focused on Michael Jackson would surely turn plenty of heads, especially on the right home.

Well, what should we hope for by Abrams’ contribution to Before You Judge Me: The Triumph and Tragedy of Michael Jackson’s Last Days?